The Hill News

Disgraced former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) on Thursday suggested that Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) may be better served resigning from Congress in order to "fix" his problems.

Foley resigned from Congress in 2006 after he was found to have sent sexually explicit emails to teenaged congressional pages. During his first nationally televised interview in five years, Foley commented on the ongoing scandal that has enveloped Weiner, who admitted to sending salacious photographs and messages using social networking sites to several women other than his wife.

{mosads}"In my heart, you cannot fix this inside that building. You cannot fix your problem," Foley said on Fox News's "Hannity" program. "He’s not going to get better going back into the building hope people give him a pass."

A growing number of lawmakers in both political parties have called on Weiner to resign from office, saying that his scandal has become a distraction. But the brash New York ! lawmaker has rebuffed calls to resign.

Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has called on the House ethics committee to launch an investigation into whether Weiner improperly used government resources to communicate with the women.

Foley empathized with Weiner's situation, but said that the only advice he can give is that based on his own experience.

"I know what he’s going through on the feeling of remorse because there is no question you feel terrible," he said. "It’s impossible for me to analyze him. All I know is what I did when I looked in the mirror when I was confronted with the charges…You know, I didn't sit there and try and run the clock out. 

"I said, this was wrong, and I resigned.”